Silent Screams
by WastingLight
Summary: This story is about Ariella and her journey through the Holocaust as she finds love, tradgedy, and friendship along the way.
1. Steping Out of the House

My name is Ariella, which means lioness of God. I am 24 years old; I have brown hair and green eyes, and I'm strong and determined. Why is any of that special? I spent my twenty second birthday in a forced labor camp during the Holocaust…this is my story.

On that day I was home alone. I sat on the creaky, wooden bench my grandfather had built just for me, fingers resting on the ivory colored piano keys. As I began to play a symphony I heard a ruckus emerging from outside my home. My fingers froze and my neck snapped to my front window facing the street. I saw people running in chaos; I heard gunfire in the distance, screams emerging from terrified throats. I shot up to my feet, knocking the seat that was underneath me to the floor. Not fully knowing what to do, I backed up against a wall, clenching my fists tightly. My mind was racing; I had no idea what was going on. I thought about going upstairs and hiding, but of course, I was too curious to do such a thing. I grabbed my maroon colored shawl that was sitting on the kitchen table and put it on like a jacket. I walked quickly to the drawer beneath the sink and reached for the chef's knife inside, just in case, and hid it under my arm.

Not fully knowing what to expect I walked to the front door and slowly clasped my fingers around the door knob. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; I wanted to know what was out there. As a chilling scream penetrated my ears, followed by a loud bang, my fingers quickly released the knob as my eyes snapped open. I took a step backwards and filled my lungs with a generous amount of air. As soon as I released the breath I quickly turned the door knob and shot out of my house before I changed my mind.


	2. Brutality

What I encountered outside my house was so shocking that I couldn't completely wrap my brain around it. I saw what looked like soldiers shooting the innocent people of my neighborhood to the ground. Soldiers were supposed to protect people weren't they? Well, what I saw was definitely not protection in any way, shape, or form. I witnessed my neighbor, , running away from his home towards the other end of the street. His neck turned to the right to see what was coming from behind him as he was frantically trying to escape. My emerald eyes followed his glance to find a soldier aiming a machine gun at .

Everything began to slow down in front of my eyes. I heard the loud crack of the gun as the bullets slowly left the barrel of the gun. My eyes traced the path the bullets were following as they quickly began to catch up to . Reality snapped back and the bullets flew the rest of the way at the speed of light right into his spine. He fell violently to the ground mid-stride; his face scraping against the pavement, his body went limp. I stood there in terror staring at the lifeless carcass that I used to know.

I quickly turned my attention to a scream coming from my left as a red headed woman was kneeling; hysterically crying over a young boy's trampled and bruised body. His face was bloody and covered in grime from the ground, his arms looked broken and out of place, and his clothes were tattered and torn. I watched as she scooped him up in her arms and let her tears drop onto his face. She began rocking back and forth, pulling him in tighter to her chest. I couldn't begin to comprehend what was happening until I saw a bullet fly between her eyes as well. She fell backwards onto the lush grass, her curly, fiery locks cascading over her shoulders, the boy landing on top of her. I looked into her stone gray eyes as her head lay limp, and what I saw in them was terrifying. They held fear, sadness, grief; they held things no person should experience.


	3. Taking Strides

Frightened, I dropped the large knife I was holding under my arms and let it fall by my feet. I looked around slowly, watching women run and scream, witnessing men fall mid-stride into a pool of blood, and watching soldiers march around after these innocent people like hunters. I saw one of the armed men notice me standing still like a statue out of the corner of my eye. As he began to move closer to me, a wave of immobility came over me. It was almost like my feet were nailed to the ground and my joints were frozen over with ice. I kept thinking "Run Ariella! Run!" but my legs would not follow the command. My body stiffened as he moved within inches from me.

"That's an awfully big knife for such a dainty, pretty girl to be carrying around isn't it?" Asked the gruff looking soldier. He had a curly black beard and molten brown eyes that pierced into me, his uniform was moth-eaten and his breath smelt of onions and peppers. I stared right back at him but I could not answer, the joints in my jaw had frozen over as well. "You're gonna go on a fun adventure, I promise you that sweetheart." He winked as a bellowing chuckle escaped from behind his teeth. He clasped his oily fingers around my arm and squeezed, forcing it behind my back. I let out a meek moan in pain, pinching my eyes shut. "See this gun?!" he hollered. I nodded as he released my arm. He placed the tip of the gun on the back of my skull and pressed it forcefully. "WALK!" I could feel the heat of the recently used barrel against my scalp. I decided to melt the ice from my joints and robotically obey him.

We walked a number of blocks. As we walked I would be forced to step over the mangled bodies of the people of the town, some that I knew well. Tears began to slowly flow down my prominent cheeks, but I didn't dare wipe them. I didn't want to make the move that could cost me my life. I could feel the calluses forming on the balls of my feet from my shoes. Along the way the soldier had aggressively recruited other Jewish towns-people to follow behind me, each one feeling the same eerie feeling of the hot gun. Others that tried to run would find the mercy of the bullet quickly. Every time a shot was fired behind me I would jump and more tears would pour out of my eyes hysterically, it was hard to stay strong, but I didn't let a sound escape from my lips. This would be the last time I cried throughout this ordeal, and I promised that to myself. I was too strong to die, too young to die.


	4. Finding A Familiar Face

We finally reached the center of town a few hours later where we were greeted by a brigade of soldiers and a mass amount of panicked civilians. I began to wonder why such a large portion of the city's population was squished into such a small area of the actual city and why this soldier would add the 27 of us he had recruited into the mix. Behind the line of soldiers I could hear desperate screams and cries, gunshots, calamity in general. Our line was forced between a gap in the soldier line. Once we were in the square of the town, the soldier left us to wander. I found myself surrounded by a mixture of people; some I knew, some I didn't. I frantically searched for a familiar face, and there she was, my best friend Haya.

"HAYA!" I screamed. I began to feverishly move my legs in her direction. It was so comforting to see her gorgeous face. Haya was an athletic and skinny girl. She had dark waves of hair, caramel skin, and almost black eyes that were big and beautiful just like a horses. She saw me running towards her and smiled with her pearly whites. She began to laugh in excitement as I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame in joy and relief.

"Ariella! Why are you here?" She sounded concerned. I got worried; I still had no knowing of why I was where I was.

"I…I don't know. Why are you here?" I gasped.

"I'm not quite sure myself. But they have this whole area surrounded with army guards. They killed my brother and his friend when they tried to escape. I'm so scared Ariella!" She began to sob as I held her in my arms. I felt her tears seep through my shawl onto my shoulder. I began to stroke her hair and hush her gently.

"Don't show any fear Haya. You must be strong. Don't let them see your weakness." I knew in this moment I had to be strong for her, I knew I was going to be the rock between the two of us. Haya nodded her head and lifted it from my shoulder. I raised my right hand to wipe the tears from her flawless skin. She let out a few more whimpers then strengthened up like stone. "That's a girl. C'mon, let's look around."


	5. The Twins

I linked arms with her and we walked the same stride to the outskirts of our enclosed area, only to be abruptly greeted by soldiers. We backed off a few yards and sat against an old shop, it was the only building whose windows weren't smashed from The Night of Broken Glass. The stiff figures guarding the border watched us intently as we looked around and chatted. There weren't many people where we were, there were two twin boys sitting across the road in tattered overalls and cut faces, and an old woman with a navy blue bonnet and tan dress making her way back into the center of the enclosure. The stronger twin would look over to the soldiers every few seconds with fear and hatred in his bright blue eyes. The other twin would always grab his arm and scold him. One of those many times he anxiously glanced at the soldier he stood up and pulled away from his brother's grasp. His legs went from motionless to a full sprint in less than ten seconds and a barbaric yell escaped his throat like a gladiator before war. Within a few feet of the officer a shot rang out and the body shot back a good ten inches. His body lay limp and crumpled on the dirty street. His twin brother began to scream and shot up into a full sprint towards the deceased twin. A few inches from the body, three bullets penetrated his chest as well. He fell right beside his brother. Both the twins lay in a bloody pool, side-by-side. Haya had buried her face into my shawl by this time, and I sat there and watched in horror. I clutched Haya closer to me and we didn't dare move.

This was the first time in my life that I had felt like an animal. Unnaturally trapped with no chance for escape or the zoo keeper would have to put me down. As darkness approached my eyes began to get heavy and my body tired. Haya had already fallen asleep on my lap and the soldier's eyes stayed hard on our location. I slowly slid myself into a laying position as to not wake Haya, but to get as comfortable as I could possibly get on pavement. As my exhausted body began to retire in to rest mode, I could still hear gunshots and screams, but I was too tired to let my eyes stay open and flash horrid memories for me to see. My lids shut and my brain slowly drifted into REM.


	6. The Carbox

My night was almost peaceful; you would think I would have had dreams of horror and bloodshed, no I dreamt of horses, serene and graceful horses. I rode them as a child before my family moved into the city. The feeling of flying a beautiful beast over a three foot oxer can never quite be described. My dapple gray, Bullet, was the horse I was on in my dream. He had such a great personality, he was gorgeous. But my dream was abruptly interrupted.

I awoke to loud yells and Haya being torn from me, her blood curdling screams almost hurt my ears. A soldier harshly grabbed a fist full of my mousey brown hair and yanked on it until I stood to my feet. My vision was still burry from the heavy sleep I was immersed in. I dizzily followed the direction of Haya as I blinked excessively to regain the clarity of my vision. I began to see that there were many others in the group that the soldiers had gathered and we were all being herded into the southern half of our enclosure. Gunshots were still present in my ears, but I was beginning to gain immunity to the sound.

A few miles of walking lead us towards the train tracks. I recognized the area, I had always gone there when I needed an escape or just a place to cry and break down; it gave me peace of mind. This time when the rusted tracks came into view, they were not as calm and relaxing as I remembered. There was a very large group of people surrounding a train pulling a bunch of empty red box cars. I was confused as to why there were so many people in such a small area, I'd say there was a good couple hundred people present at the tracks that day, but oddly enough, not by their own free will.

"That's the last of them sir." Said the soldier who had recruited us to a higher ranking officer. The man in charge nodded and whispered something back into the less experienced officer's ear. When the powerful man saw me staring he winked his bitter eye at me and began to chuckle. The soldiers then pulled out their guns and herded us into a clump, yelling loudly and pointing the barrels in our faces. Meekly, all the civilians packed together tightly. The commanding officer began to quiet us all with his harsh voice. He then ordered us to remove all valuable items we had in our possession and to take our shoes and jackets off. I began to remove my emerald earrings slowly. I loved those earrings, my mother had given me them for my thirteenth birthday, they were very special to me. I took the backs off of them and pulled them from my ear lobes, then carefully placed the backs on them again. I handed them to a very dirty looking German officer and he smiled with his golden colored teeth, or what he had left of them at least, and he pocketed my precious jewelry. I saw women taking off their wedding rings and handing them over, crying the whole time.

I began to untie my brown shoes slowly, stalling. A soldier screamed in my ear, telling me to hurry up and calling me a stupid Jew. He roughly pushed me to the ground and laughed. Every time I tried to get back up to continue untying my shoes, he would knock me back down to the ground. I began to get frustrated and he could see that from my angered facial expression. He slowly put his hand firmer on his gun and motioned the end of it towards my shoe that was untied but still on my foot. He fired a few rounds within inches of my toes and I fell backwards in terror. He began to laugh violently and motioned another time towards my shoes.

"Go faster you stupid maggot!" he yelled in my face. I ripped my shoes off and threw them in the growing pile by the curb. I grabbed Haya's hand to make sure she was alright and she squeezed it tightly, wrapping her fingers in mine. I could tell she was petrified.

The crimson box car doors flung open and the soldiers began to yell again, this time forcing us into the train like cattle. Haya and I jumped in and the other Jews followed us close behind. We got pushed against the back of the car, against the wall. We were all packed in there like sardines in a can. The doors slammed shut and it got very dark inside and the chatter between the people slowly began to quiet. The train then jolted to a start and we began to move from what I could tell. We were so close to one another in that red box car that there was no room to sit down or rest, barely any room to breathe. I heard someone in the corner blow chunks and other people moan in disgust and the smell began to become over whelming inside. I then knew we were in for one hell of a ride. Haya and I found an inch of space so I could sit and she could lie down on my lap.


	7. Dreams

I wondered how long we would be trapped inside this hot and cramped cage-like structure. When the chatter quieted down a tad, I could hear the rickety, rusted wheels scraping against the track. I began to tune out everything and just focus on the sound and after a while it became almost comforting. The day seemed to drag on for forever inside this cramped space, it was very humid and began to smell inside from people relieving themselves. We had been riding to our unknown destination for hours now. My legs were becoming numb, my throat began to burn from thirst, and I was starting to get very hungry. I was hoping it would get dark soon so we could at least get some relief from the hot sun heating the box.

Haya laid on my lap again, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead as she slept soundly. The box car had begun to quiet; I guessed that it was just after sundown. And I was right I could feel the temperature begin to drop a few degrees. It wasn't much but it still felt a lot better than the sweltering sun beating directly down on the train. As I began to drift into a slumber, a vision of the red headed woman came to mind; all I could see was her eyes, her piercing eyes. What I had witnessed these past few days was horrible, but I couldn't give up, I didn't want to end up like her, I couldn't, I wouldn't. I tuned my ears back into the comforting sound of the wheels rolling down the track. It was all I had in that moment, I let the sound caress my ears as I lulled into a frightening sleep.

My dreams weren't dreams that night, they were evil nightmares. I saw the twins lying next to each other in the dirty pavement, clothes saturated with blood from the holes in their chests. I saw the mutilated body of the little boy, arms broken, face scratched and dirt, clothes tattered and torn. And I saw Mr. Warcht violently falling to the ground, his face grinding against the ground, blood seeping from his spine. The soldier's grimy faces and forceful gunshots also haunted me behind my eyelids.


	8. Sleep, Eat, Repeat

When I woke it was actually peaceful. I woke to the sound of the rusted wheels once more. The blistering sun was shining through the cracks in the wood and I could tell we didn't have much longer before it got stuffy inside. The smell was foul in the box this morning, my hand instantly shot up to my nose to try to seal some of the stench out. I nudged Haya awake and stood up as she rubbed her eyes. I saw children clinging to their mother's skirts and pants as they leaned against one another trying to sleep. Adults were leaning against the walls and holding each other up to get some rest.

I moved my hand from my breathing passages to my stomach. I was so hungry I could hear and feel my stomach growling. I leaned against the wall behind me and watched people in the box car as they all began to wake up. It was intriguing to witness such a diverse group of people all together. I stood there and watched them interact for hours. My eyes particularly focused on a woman in her mid-forties with very long, thick hair. Every time she moved her medium brown locks would shake and wave with the tips down towards her lower back. I watched her hair move for hours.

About mid-afternoon, maybe two or three, I could hear the wheels slowing down and screeching against the tracks. I wondered where we were and I was so excited to get out and stretch my legs. I immediately pictured a grassy green field with white daisies. As soon as my mind got peaceful the doors flew open and I was again greeted by the raggedy soldiers again. They ordered us out one at a time. We were nowhere near any lush field, we were near some broken down town, but I didn't recognize anything around though. The soldiers formed us all in a line and would one at a time hand us a small piece of hard bread when very little margarine on it and a handful of cloudy water.

Eating the bread was tough. It was so difficult to bite through and it was so hard it felt like my cheeks were getting cut. The small portion of water soothed my irritated mouth but it tasted like dirt at the same time. As soon as we had gotten our food they sent us back into the box car and locked the door. I could hear the other box cars opening, soldiers yelling, and then the door closing again shortly after. I was still starving and my stomach was still growling. It got a little taste and wanted more like a shark after smelling blood in the water.

The train began to move again. It felt like it was moving faster than before, as if it was on a schedule or something of that nature. The squeaky wheels that I once found calming and soothing were now rushed and almost annoying. I sat there running possibility after possibility through my brain but nothing seemed logical or right. I had no utter idea where we were going, but I was very much curious as to where the doors would open. I hoped it would be a place my pupils would recognize, but I had many doubts about that.

The hours seemed to drag on and on. By the fourth day on the train it became routine. Wake up, smell the foulness inside the train, get my rock hard bread and muddy water, attempt sleep, repeat.


	9. The Elderly Couple

But the fifth day, now that day was different. The wheels screamed loudly as my body got flung forward into the other people of the car. We all yelped in surprise of the train suddenly stopping. Then the familiar red doors flung open and a group of new, more polished soldiers stood there.

A higher ranking officer stepped front and center, and I was immediately amazed by his beauty. I never knew I could view a man as beautiful, but this man was damn near perfect. He had hair the color of coal and eyes the color of ice; he had broad shoulders and a shapely chest; he had a little soul patch in the center of his chin and a glimmering smile; he had perfect, porcelain skin and the most adorable dimples. The only imperfection I could notice on his face was a missing tooth in the back right corner of his mouth, but I could easily over look that. As he was talking with his deep, bellowing voice, all I could focus on was how gorgeous he was and I let a grin creep across my face.

Out of nowhere all the people started jumping off the train onto the pavement which was a good few feet down. Some of the weaker people let their knees buckle as they landed; they were immediately pushed harshly to the ground. Haya squeezed my hand as our turn approached. And I kept thinking over and over to myself that I couldn't let my knees buckle, I couldn't show weakness or imperfection. As I let my feet hop off the train, my big toe stubbed the edge of the platform and I fell a few feet to my knees. As soon as I landed I felt a searing pain jolt all the way up my spine. Then I felt my face get pushed into the pavement and rubbed around. I heard laughter above me and as soon as the pressure on my skull was released I looked up to see who had pushed me, and I was disappointed in who I saw. It was the beautiful man. He was laughing and calling me a stupid Jew. In my eyes he wasn't stunning anymore; he was a monster…an evil monster.

Saddened, I followed the others that had jumped off the train as they all poured into a crowd heading towards a large stone building surrounded by barbed wire fences and gates. As I grew nearer and nearer to the building, I began to smell and see smoke, but it wasn't like normal campfire smoke, it had its own unique element to it that made is stand out. I began to hear officers yelling, directing people into lines; able bodied Jews into one line, the unable, the elderly, and the children under the age of 15 in the other. Haya and I stepped quickly into the able bodied line.

I watched carefully as officers walked up and down the other line forcing people to undress. They were being told they were going to be getting a shower because they smelled foul from the train ride. I noticed an elderly man, who looked to be about seventy or so, was arguing with an officer about removing his clothing. The elderly man began wagging his finger at the young officer and the officer immediately pulled out his revolver and cocked and aimed it. Two loud bangs rang out and there were suddenly two holes in the elderly man's chest. The green, plaid vest he was wearing began to turn crimson as he fell to his back, his snow white hair sopping up the scarlet liquid as well as a puddle started to form around him. His wife fell to her knees and began to scream in agony next to her husband's body as he took his last breath. She screamed and sobbed louder and louder each time, letting the pain out of her. The officer reloaded and shot another bullet into her chest, turning her lavender blouse red as well.

I stood there with my jaw wide open as two soldiers came by to remove their bodies. I was so utterly disgusted and shocked and outraged. But I wasn't feeling those deep emotions towards the officer that murdered the elderly couple…I felt them towards myself because I stood there and watched it all happen and I did nothing to stop it, I just stood there and watched. I was just as monstrous as the officers participating in the murders I was watching take place.


	10. Needle, Ink, Skin

I moved my heavy feet towards this tall gray brick building as the lines drifted farther and farther apart. A smoke stack was emitting a blackish smoke from inside, but the smell of it was what really stuck with me. It was unique and tangy, smoky at times too. I stood there smelling it more and more as I drew closer to the doors. Suddenly, Haya pulled her hand to her nose complaining of the smell. I just stared at her; I didn't think that the smell was that overbearing.

A few steps away from the door and I began to hear screams from the neighboring building, but people kept filing in, almost oblivious to what was happening, un-phased even. I wondered what was causing such pain filled shrieks, but there was no way in hell I was stepping out of the safety of my line to find out.

A few more steps and I was inside the dark, dank building. I saw several stations where people appeared to be getting some sort of tattoo on their arms. All it was was a serial code, just letters and numbers, as if to be able to identify us. I was scared, I knew it was going to be painful, but I knew I had to endure it; I saw girls yelling in pain and they were immediately dragged off into another room and I didn't see them exit again. Every step I took brought me closer and closer to the buzzing needle; every step I took terrified me.

Haya was right in front of me, shaking with fear. I put my hand on her shoulder and whispered that she was going to be okay. All of the sudden it was her turn. A gruff looking man grabbed her by her forearm and dragged her to a rickety looking chair; they strapped her wrist down so she couldn't move her arm and began tattooing her forcefully. I saw her big, brown eyes pinch shut and force tears out onto her cheeks. I clenched my fists and bit my lip, wanting so badly to help her, but knowing I couldn't; I needed her to be strong. She tightened her jaw and I could tell she was trying so desperately not to release her pain by screaming at the top of her lungs. I began to notice she already had an A, an H, a 2, a 6, and a D on her wrist.

"Half way there Haya, just hold on." I whispered real low. I saw her holding her breath, struggling to hold in her pain, her face turning all shades of purple and blue. Finally, about half way through her next number, she let out a loud gasp and yelled slightly. Immediately they unstrapped her arm from the board-like table and pulled her to her feet by her hair. She gasped again and grabbed at the hand of the man that was yanking her, trying to claw him. "No Haya! NO!" I whispered. Haya began to scream and kick violently, thrashing about; she knew she would have been put in that room and would never come out again; she was frightened. She must have aimed in the right spot while she was kicking because the man threw her to the ground and grabbed his groin in pain.

"You little bitch!" he yelled at her while she lay crouched on the ground trying to scoot away. As soon as he collected himself he walked over to her and kicked her right in her head causing blood to rush onto her forehead. He kicked her again, this time revealing blood from her nose. She fell back to the floor and put her hands over her entire face, screaming now. He must have broken her nose or fractured something in her face because it was already starting to bruise. He picked her up by her hair once more and smiled at her bloody face and hands, revealing a missing front tooth. He pulled her by her hair to the steel door he was putting all the other weak ones behind, and opened it slowly. "Have fun in hell maggot." He said as he pushed her behind the door.

"Oh Haya…" I whispered once more. All I could hear was her screams as the door began to close. As the man walked back over to me to push me harshly into the tattooing chair I saw Haya's blood on his shoes. He sneered evilly and pushed me into the chair, strapping my arm down tight. I didn't make a sound I just sat there with my arm against the plywood and my eyes fixed on Haya's blood on the floor. I couldn't believe she was gone, I knew she wasn't strong enough and I still let her go before me. I didn't know if I could ever forgive myself for letting Haya get pushed behind that door. But I couldn't let my emotions flow out of my eyes, I had to bottle them up and put the cap on them and never let them out till I knew for sure I was safe.


	11. Innocent

Every time I felt the needle prick over a bone or a vein I squeezed my hand a bit tighter and then focused my eyes back on the puddle of blood on the concrete. I completely zoned my mind out because I knew if I focused on the pain, I would then succumb to weakness. After about 20 minutes I felt the grip of the leather restraint loosen from my arm. I looked down and saw that my serial code read "6MJK1AH" and then the pain engulfed my whole arm like a swarm of fire ants had bitten me all at once. As soon as I stood up a soldier with curly, brown locks grabbed me by my wrist where the pain seared through my pores and dragged me to another room with two piles of clothes in each corner and a woman standing behind another plywood like desk.

The man yelled directly in my ear. "UNDRESS! NOW!" I looked at him confused. I dragged my vision to the girl behind the desk. She had long, wavy, blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes with a pointy nose and very prominent cheek bones. She was gorgeous. She had laid out a pajama looking pair of pants and a button down shirt to match. They were a very dingy white with grayish blue vertical stripes down them. She nodded at me, almost as if she was assuring me I'd be okay if I did what he said. I removed my shawl and handed it to the officer. He grabbed it and threw it into the pile containing shirts and jackets. I slowly pulled my evergreen t-shirt over my head and handed it to him. I grabbed for the button down so I could cover myself; I felt so exposed. He slapped my hand immediately. "Pants first!" I recoiled my arm back into my chest and moved my fingers down to my jeans button. I fumbled around with it for a little bit until I finally pushed the brass circle through the proper hole. I pushed my pants to the floor as quickly as I could and stepped out of them. I felt so violated and gross. I threw my pants at the officer; he was sneering and I could by the look in his eyes that he was enjoying every minute of this, the foul bastard.

I immediately pulled my forearms up to my chest and covered my body. I didn't even like wearing revealing clothing let alone undressing for some creepy stranger. He nodded to the table. I quickly snatched the tattered clothing and threw them on as quickly as I could, fumbling through the buttons on the shirt yet again. I couldn't seem to get my fingers to work correctly; they were probably still shaky from the pain and the ink swimming through my skin. By the time I got my clothes on, the officer was laughing at me. He grabbed me by my wrist again and pulled me to a barn or shed looking structure and threw me inside. When I walked in there were wooden shelve looking structures that other people were laying on, dressed just like me. I walked down the rows to the end and I noticed they were all disgustingly skinny, they looked like someone just draped skin over a skeleton, they were pale and sickly looking. I began to get scared.

I walked to the end of the row and sat in the corner on the cold cement. I began to realize that these clothes didn't offer much protection, because even on that warm summer night I was cold against the concrete. I saw a girl roll over in her bunk and look at me for a moment. She looked warm and friendly; she had more meat on her bones and more color in her face than most of the people in the shed. She patted the space in the bunk next to her, inviting me to lie down. I stood up slowly and walked cautiously up next to the bunk; I didn't want to trust to easily, that was thrown out the window when soldiers, who were supposed to protect people, started slaughtering them for no reason.

"It's okay." She giggled. "I don't bite, promise." I crouched down next to her so I could see her face. She had a mousey structure in her nose, mouth, and cheeks, her hair was to her chin and almost white blonde, her eyes were a pale brown, they were light and sparkly, and from what I could tell, she was short. Her smile was warm and inviting, and her teeth were perfectly aligned and pearly. She scooted over again and patted the space next to her, nodding her head towards the spot she offered me to lay in. I smiled and laid down next to her, trying to get as comfortable as I could on the plywood bed. It felt like there were splinters sticking into my stomach, but I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of everyone in the shed. "I'm Tamah! Nice to meet you." She extended her hand out to me. I took it and shook it firmly. She stared at me for a few seconds wondering if I would reply.

"That's a pretty name. What does it mean?" I stuttered.

"It means innocent…and you are?"

"Ariella, I'm Ariella." She stared at me for a moment. "…It means lioness of God." I said wondering if that was what she was looking for from me.

"That's unique!" she said. "Unique and beautiful…just like you." She smiled bashfully.

"Thanks!" I giggled, blushing. All night Tamah told me about all the rules I had to follow and who I could get extra bread from and where I could eventually purchase some shoes when the weather got colder. She said she'd been there for a little over a year. It was nice to know what I needed to do to survive; I was already strong but having that upper hand couldn't possibly hurt.

"Oh and another thing!" Tamah began, "It gets brutal here. You need to have a light heart and a thick stomach. People you get close to WILL die here Ariella. I hear they're screams in the night, they haunt my dreams, and visions are forever stained on the inside of my eyelids. I watched my little sister as she was thrown into a fire and burned alive, I watched a bullet go through my mother's courageous heart as she hit a soldier who tried to have his way with her, and I saw my father get beaten until we couldn't recognize his face, then they tied a rope around his neck and hung him while he was still alive. I saw it all. But I'm still here, and you can't let the horror effect you. Okay?" I nodded my head quickly. "You seem strong Ariella…prove me right." I nodded again and we talked to each other a little longer before saying goodnight and drifting off into sleep.


	12. Flesh Burning

I woke up several times in the night due to my growling stomach which was shriveling up and shrinking. And Tamah was right; you really can hear their screams when the sun goes down. Those haunting screams will stay with me forever, their voices entrapped in my mind, my being.

The next day I got my initiation into the long road of hell. We were herded out of our shed at six in the morning and forced to work on the fields all day plowing and harvesting crops, food that I knew we wouldn't be allowed to eat. I saw a man shove some of the vegetables in his pants for later, but an officer soon showed up behind him. I watched as the man was hit in the back of the head and he fell to his knees with the gloomy sky in the background. I stood there watching. The officer pulled an ear of corn out of the man's pants and threw it on the ground. I heard the man yell that he was so hungry he couldn't take it anymore. So the officer happily obliged. He shot the man right between his shoulder blades. The man's face fell to the dirt. Two other officers immediately came up from behind and removed the man's, now bloody, pants and picked him up, carrying him off into a pile. I couldn't tell what the pile contained yet, but I just kept plowing, I didn't want to end up like him, I didn't want to end up in that pile.

We plowed all day, twelve or so hours I would say. As we walked back to the bunk after a long day, I stared intensely at the pile the man was thrown into earlier; it was a large pile of dead bodies, all of which had been stripped of their clothes, and most looked skeleton-like and heavily bruised. They looked like ghosts, pale, withered, drained of life completely, it was gross. I couldn't stop staring. It was like a car accident; horrifying to look at but so interesting you couldn't rip your gaze away from it.

When we got back to the shed, Tamah and I counted all of the blisters on our feet and all of the callouses on our hands as if it were a competition. She won with 19 all together, I only had 15. We laughed at our foolishness, but eventually it crossed my mind that I felt like a monster for laughing while I had witnessed several vicious and unfair massacres in the past few weeks.

"Tamah…" I began to change the tone to seriousness rather than silliness, "Does it ever bother you…you know…the blood…the death…the smell of their flesh burning…?" Tamah looked at me confused, she must have thought I didn't know what all was going on yet. "Don't look at me like that! I know they burn them, I saw the pile of corpses; I know they're slaughtering us. I know it!"

Tamah sighed and looked up at me with sorrowful puppy eyes. "No…no it doesn't bother me because I don't let it, I can't possibly afford to. No it doesn't bother me." She shook her head heavily and just kept softly repeating no. I could see her eyes begin to well up in tears, but she wouldn't let go, she wouldn't let them run down her cheeks. I could tell she was trying desperately not to cry, I could tell she was getting that pain in her stomach when you want so badly to cry but you can't let yourself show weakness so you pull it all back inside of you, put it in a bottle and seal the cap. I felt it with her.

I began to rub her back to comfort her, but my fingers began to feel her spine protruding through her skin harshly. I pulled back from her quickly, not wanting to bruise her fragile paper skin. "What's the matter Ariella?" I shook my head and began to rub her back again to comfort her. I didn't want to become a skeleton like that; I didn't want my bones to protrude out of my body awkwardly.

That night while Tamah was sleeping, I laid next to her touching my collar bone and spine. I could feel every vertebra down my back and I began to get frightened. We were wasting away, starving slowly. I could feel my cheeks beginning to sink into my face. I didn't sleep a wink that whole night.


	13. The Boy With Curly Hair

Every day became the same. Wake up, receive our "food", work for twelve or thirteen hours until you couldn't feel your feet and your blisters were bleeding, and go to the bunk and sleep. Until one day Tamah took me to this little shack where all the SS got their supplies. When I walked in I saw a very attractive man standing there behind a desk. He had molten, chocolaty brown eyes that melted my knees, curly brown hair that wasn't too long but wasn't short either, and a well-kept scruffy beard that I just wanted to touch. He was about my height and had decent sized muscles. I thought he was rather good looking at first glance. But then I looked into his eyes, his gorgeous eyes, and they looked into me. It was almost a love at first sight connection.

"Ariella, this is Yahshua. He helps me and gives me what I need secretly. I've known him for a good portion of my life. He works for the SS now because he is so trustworthy to them. He literally lives by the meaning of his name, savior." Explained Tamah enthusiastically. I flashed a smile his way and he smiled back shyly.

"Hi…I'm Ariella. Nice to meet you." I took a step closer to him; his eyes were so warm and inviting. "Don't be shy!" I flirtatiously pushed his shoulder. He giggled a little bit and said hi confidently. We stood there staring at each other for a few minutes, not saying a word, just staring.

"Okay…love at first sight….I SHOULD BE A MATCH-MAKER!" Tamah yelled excitedly. We both giggled at the awkward situation. "Yahshua, Ariella needs a better pair of shoes and a little chocolate for the both of us please?" He happily obliged and handed me the pair of shoes and Tamah the chocolate.

"Don't be a stranger Ariella." He flashed another white smile at me. I began to feel my face get hot and my cheeks flush. I was totally blushing. I nodded and smiled, trying not to let him see me blush. As soon as we left, I immediately asked Tamah when we could go back and see him. She giggled and went on and on about her so called match-making skills.

We snuck back into our little shack and gorged on our chocolate. "Not too fast!" She scolded. We giggled and shared stories for hours with little sleep. Eventually I would learn how to savor my snacks that I got from Yahshua. I would also learn how to see him on a daily basis without being seen.


	14. Finding Peace

The days would blend together, but the only good thing I could ever see out of this whole mess was Yahshua. I would sneak out without Tamah night after night to see him and share his champagne kisses. He knew more about me than any other person I had ever come in contact with. He was my salvation in this whole mess. He would hold me and whisper everything was alright while I cried; he was my rock, my protector. He would tell me would never let anything happen to me, he promised he would keep me safe. It seemed difficult to believe him in such a place that we were in; surrounded by death and murder, always hearing the screams of children getting burned alive and women getting gassed, but surprisingly I trusted him. I felt like I was on the verge of love after spending several weeks with Yahshua, but neither of us had said a thing even relating to that yet. I didn't want to say it first either, that was the boy's job.

Working day after day was beginning to take a toll on everyone in the shed. Tamah had begun to get sick with pneumonia, and all of us began to look like skeletons a biology teacher would use to show how many bones the human body really had. I never knew until now how many bones I had either. I would lie there night after night and count my ribs one by one, always getting twenty four, twelve on each side. I think the only reason I had managed to avoid sickness was because Yahshua had snuck me a long sleeve shirt to wear in the night when the sheds would become chilly.

One of the days of work I can remember quite clearly. Tamah was the sickest I had ever seen her. Her hair lacked luster, she was ghostly pale, and her pretty eyes had dark circles and bags under them; she couldn't even manage a smile she was so weak. We began to plow the fields that morning. I carried Tamah's shovel for her to the field. When I handed it to her she gripped it for a few seconds then it fell to the dirt, making a loud ping. She tried to pick it up but couldn't manage, her body was shutting down. I looked up and glanced in the watch officer's direction, he was beginning to notice Tamah was too weak to work.

"Tamah, pick up the shovel! Please Tamah! At least pretend to be fit for work!" I whispered harshly. She looked up at me slowly; her once sparkly hazel eyes had given up; they were dull and listless. I could tell she couldn't handle being here anymore. "Tamah…No! Don't you dare give up on me Tamah! I need you here with me! PLEASE!" She nodded her head towards Yahshua's shack and managed a smile. I remembered she said earlier not to get too attached to anyone in here. I looked up and saw the officer had two others with him now; they were slowly inching their way over here. My eyes began to fill with little pools of tears. "Pick up the god damn shovel Tamah!" I began to get very frustrated.

"Let me go Ariella. I'll find peace. I'll find my mother and father. I'll find my little sister. Let them take me. It'll be okay…you'll survive. I promise." Tamah whispered.

I began to shovel up some dirt as the officers inched closer and closer towards us. Tamah laid her boney body down and rested her head by my feet until the officers took her. I began to bite my lip, trying desperately not to stop them from taking her. She let them grab under her arms peacefully as they drug her through the dirt to the woods on the edge of the plowing field. I knew they were going to gas her and throw her into a pile with the other people they had murdered. I couldn't believe such a good and kind person could get thrown into a situation like this.


	15. Love and Kisses

I cried hysterically with Yahshua that night. He held me in his arms and wiped my tears from my cheeks. Even though he didn't quite know how to console me, it was comforting to have him there while I cried, just having him hold me and rock me in his arms. I looked up at him as he dried my eyes. He smiled and told me Tamah was in a better place, he told me she would watch over us and guide us through this mess. He bent his head down towards mine and touched his silky lips to mine. He tasted like mint, and he sent chills all through my body. He took my breath away, but it made me realize I needed a deep breath. I closed my eyes and breathed for a minute as he kissed my cheek.

I felt his mouth move closer towards my ear. I heard him breathing. "I love you Ariella." My eyes snapped open and I looked at him and began to cry, but happy tears this time. I couldn't believe he said such a thing. "…Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry!"

"No silly!" I giggled. "I love you too." I spent an hour or two in his arms just staring at him and his eyes. I knew I had to go back to the bunk at that point though. They would find me there in the morning and kill us both and I refused to let that happen. I laid down in the wooden bed where Tamah used to lay. I counted my ribs almost compulsively again and talked to Tamah as if she was there. I told her she really should have been a match maker because I was in love. I told her I'd stay strong for her and id beat this thing. I slowly fell asleep just whispering her name.

Behind my eyes I danced with Tamah and Haya. We giggled and smiled and sang silly songs and cracked wise jokes. It was one of the sweetest dreams I had ever experienced in my life time. I was so happy to see their shinning faces again and hear the voices I had lost to these bastards.


	16. The Shot Heard Round the World

Then I woke up. I woke up to gunshots, screams, yells. I was a bit dazed at first, flashing back to my house and the tattered streets. Then I realized I wasn't there I was here. Everyone in the shed was trying desperately to get out. Then we heard yells outside the doors. "GET BACK! BACK AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" Then the door busted open in shards and soldiers stood there waiting. But they weren't the scary familiar soldiers that I had seen every single day for several months; they were American soldiers. They lined us up and began to escort us out of the building. A strong feeling of relief and relaxation came over me. A warm sensation filled my bony body and a smile crept across my face. They warned us to stay low and cautious as we exited. They said the German officers were still out there.

As I walked out the doors to freedom I looked to the little shack where Yahshua had been staying and I saw him getting escorted out with an American officer. He looked over and saw me. A big grin leapt across his cheeks and relief swept over his eyes. His heels kicked up dirt and he began to run towards you. Everything began to slow down and I saw him run towards me in slow motion. An officer grabbed my arm and pulled me to the ground, sheltering me with his body and I heard shots crack in the background. When fire had stopped the officer let me up and I looked for Yahshua. I saw him lying on the ground, breathing heavily. I ran to him screaming his name. As I got closer I realized he had been shot in his hip on the right side. I kneeled down at his side and grabbed his hand, almost in tears. I put my other hand over his wound to stop the bleeding, his warm, sticky blood trickling through my fingers. He moved his arm up to my face and swept my bangs out of my eyes, which probably looked sunken in and skeletal by now. He smiled at me and mouthed the words "I love you" to me. I smiled and told him I loved him too, even though I was choking on my words, fighting back tears.

The American officers pulled me away from Yahshua, shouting that we all had to get out of range. It wasn't hard to yank my light and frail body away from the bleeding boy on the ground. I tried to wiggle and get to Yahshua but I was too incredibly weak to fight to get to him. I saw officers pick up Yahshua and place him in the canvas truck next to me.


	17. Thankful

When we got onto the truck the officer that had carried me laid me down on his lap and placed several blankets on me. He kept telling me to stay awake and look him in the eyes. I obeyed and all I could stare at for about thirty minutes was his ocean blue eyes. His eyes looked like they had waves rippling through them; they spoke like the sea. Finally, we got to a building that looked to be in good shape. Apparently it was a hospital like structure. I was immediately placed in a bed with warm fuzzy wool blankets and an IV was immediately hooked into my wrist vein. It was painful just watching the needle hook through my paper thin skin, knowing all my muscle had deteriorated and all you could see was bone.

After a few months of IVs and small portions of solid food I began to regain my color and shape. I wasn't a scary, awkward skeleton anymore; I looked like a normal human almost. Yahshua had been in my dreams almost every night in the hospital, his love and kisses flew like birds around my head. Once I was strong enough, I walked down to where Yahshua was and saw him lying there. He appeared different than he had before. He had more life to him and I could see passion and life in his eyes. Every day I would walk down to his room and visit him until he was healthy and healed. I had spent my twenty second birthday in that hospital and three months after that, Yahshua had spent his twenty fourth birthday there with me as well.

After we got out, life was different. We had to search for work, a home, a life. But eventually we got stable again. We gained a nice stable home with a dog and a cat and we both gained steady stable jobs. We got married a year after we were liberated from the camp, April 8th. And, however cliché it sounds, we are currently living happily ever after.

I'm thankful for the American soldiers that saved Yahshua and I. I'm thankful for the friends and loved ones that pushed me through that tough endeavor. I'm thankful to have met Yahshua and to have fallen in love. And I'm thankful to be alive.


End file.
